Some refer to him as the “squirrel guy,” others know him as “the guy with the signs.” Whichever name he may go by, SMU senior Andrew Colias is a source of free entertainment and enlightenment on campus.
Sporting his long brunette ponytail, paint-covered jeans and a button up checkered shirt, Colias is often found outside of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center playing the flute and feeding the squirrels.
“I am a sucker for fuzzy animals,” he said.
Believing that the squirrels are “friendly, misunderstood creatures with high ambitions put on the backburner due to hunger,” Colias feeds the squirrels in hopes of relieving their hunger pain. He estimates that he spends around $200 a semester feeding the squirrels.
“It’s fun to watch the squirrels carry huge apples up the trees and face plant when it becomes too heavy,” Colias said.
When Colias is not interacting with the animals, he can be found playing his flute.
Five years ago, Colias took a trip to the battlefields of Vicksburg, Miss. where he found an American-made tin whistle in a gift shop. Believing that not enough things are made in America, he bought it and later learned how to play folk music on it.
“Music now tries to rouse you up and make you feel alive,” Colias said. “I am already alive and roused up so I prefer folk music to calm me down. I get high on 200-year-old folk songs.”
Colias is also known for his unique signs. As a little boy, when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Colias would always answer, “happy.” Today, Colias said he finds happiness through human interaction. He uses his signs to engage people and thinks of them as a public service.
“I have made all my friends by simply being the nerd I am in public,” he said.
Some of his favorite signs have read, “Don’t read this,” “Do you believe in Florida?” and “Will discuss civilization for free.” Although the typical reaction of his peers is a puzzled look, he does occasionally find himself in entertaining theological discussions and arguments.
Colias plans on graduating this semester with a bachelor’s degree in history. Until then he welcomes any and all company to join him at “his kingdom” outside of Hughes-Trigg.
